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Mine is probably a very unpopular opinion here on the forum but I am a firm believer that you can control BC populations easily in a small pond as long as your not afraid to eat a bunch of them without them being 15" slabs, even a smaller BC will make a nice little fillet and some of the best eating there is.

I know this because I have controlled their numbers, even white crappie that don't make as nice a fillet, and seem to be much more prolific to spawn, and I ate like a king.


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
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Actually, what you say makes a lot of sense.

Frequently, the state wildlife agencies have a pond guideline for their state that says something to the effect of: "Don't stock crappie in bodies of water less than 5 acres."

However, if the pond is SMALL enough, then the population could be theoretically controlled by angling and/or supplemental trapping.

I think that would be difficult/impossible for a 3-acre pond, but much more feasible for a 1/4-1/3 acre pond.

I believe I have also read of people on Pond Boss that have good long-term crappie ponds that are larger than that size, but they have management help from their predators. (There were also replies in the thread of people with similar sized ponds failing on their crappie projects, so there are probably also some site-specific factors.)

gehajake,

What size is your crappie pond? What predators for crappie were present?

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FishinRod I was fishing in the past in a pro 2.5 acre pond that somebody put white crappie in. we would have to take a couple hundred out of it per yr or more to keep them from getting stunted, but if we did that we had 13 14" crappie, all we could eat.
The pond also had a bunch of BG and LMB in it, I have a LMB on the wall that was 8+ lbs out of there, which is not too bad for our area.
also had a couple pretty good sized holes, pro 2A plus, that had a balance of LMB BG and BC in them, actually I think they were stocked by the conservation dept back in the day, those were much easier to keep a level balance in, actually seemed to maintain pretty good with just what fishing we had time for, I dont ever throw a BC back, btw, unless its a big female occasionally.


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
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I’ve been trying to get BCP in my pond to populate more and can’t get it done. The bass eat them and the BG keep eating the eggs….. this winter going to stock 25 pairs of white crappie and see if that helps. At one time the BCP were thriving until the bass got over 10# then decline of BCP. We have had a good bloom this year with the falling water levels. Going to keep trying to get the BCP levels up by removing both LMB and BG

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I do believe that with a healthy population of LMB the ability to have BC overpopulate will be slim to none in any size bow. a big 6lb plus LMB, can enjoy just about all but the mature, biggest crappie. and if you were in the situation where they were stunted, none of them might outgrow a big LMB breakfast.


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Originally Posted by Pat Williamson
I’ve been trying to get BCP in my pond to populate more and can’t get it done. The bass eat them and the BG keep eating the eggs….. this winter going to stock 25 pairs of white crappie and see if that helps. At one time the BCP were thriving until the bass got over 10# then decline of BCP. We have had a good bloom this year with the falling water levels. Going to keep trying to get the BCP levels up by removing both LMB and BG

Do you have the ability to make some big brushpiles in deep (10-15') water? A "refuge" for crappie to survive might help create sustainable reproduction of the population.

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It’s 13’ at deepest at full pool. I have some piles at 7-10’ but water is down 3’. So many cedars have died this summer with the drought… so I can add new places. That is if 6acres doesn’t go dry

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Originally Posted by gehajake
Mine is probably a very unpopular opinion here on the forum but I am a firm believer that you can control BC populations easily in a small pond as long as your not afraid to eat a bunch of them without them being 15" slabs, even a smaller BC will make a nice little fillet and some of the best eating there is.

I know this because I have controlled their numbers, even white crappie that don't make as nice a fillet, and seem to be much more prolific to spawn, and I ate like a king.

This is exactly what we want. I have standing orders from the missus to bring home every legal crappie I can get in the boat. Seriously, we would eat fish almost every day if we could.

Could SMB potentially keep BCP under control with my filleting every 8"-10" crappie I can pull out? Besides RES, is there another species of tasty fish that might also work out? YP, for example, or... if I'm going to experiment, maybe apply the KISS principle & start with SMB, BCP & RES?

What do y'all think about stocking rates & schedule? Looks like around here, SMB & BCP are available in the fall, with sunfish in the spring. Maybe 50 RES Spring '23, along with say 25 HBG to feed as much Optimal as they'll eat over the summer (& catch out & eat as soon as they're big enough)? Then, Fall '23 25-50 BCP & 10-15 SMB? I'll keep feeding any fish in the pond that'll eat it & if I have a couple HBG to play monkey-see, monkey-do & help teach the RES to take pellets, I will absolutely try to feed train them & will try to feed train the SMB if it can be done.

Alternatively, I'm open to other ideas to put a lot of filets on the table that don't involve catfish or require restocking of fish that can't/won't reproduce? I'm retired & the pond's 50 yards from my front door. With plans for a "waterfront" tiki bar & floating dock, so harvesting fish shouldn't be too onerous a chore to attend to.

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CrazyCarl, I was just informed of a huge discount for BC for this fall stocking, I guess there is an over abundance of them, and with water level low around the area, said they could get BC for 25cents for 3 to 4" and 4 to 6" ones were 35 cents, I just paid way more then that for 4 to 6" BC, but that's how my luck usually runs.


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl
With plans for a "waterfront" tiki bar & floating dock, so harvesting fish shouldn't be too onerous a chore to attend to.

Dang, that sounds like my kind of "chore"!

Not so Crazy after all, are you?

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Originally Posted by FishinRod
Originally Posted by CrazyCarl
With plans for a "waterfront" tiki bar & floating dock, so harvesting fish shouldn't be too onerous a chore to attend to.

Dang, that sounds like my kind of "chore"!

Not so Crazy after all, are you?

Crazy like a fox.


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Originally Posted by gehajake
CrazyCarl, I was just informed of a huge discount for BC for this fall stocking, I guess there is an over abundance of them, and with water level low around the area, said they could get BC for 25cents for 3 to 4" and 4 to 6" ones were 35 cents,

gehajake,

That is pretty good news. Are you inclined to ask a moderator if you could post a new thread about that sale and list the seller?

I think we are still in a good window for fall stocking, and there might be some readers that would take advantage of that opportunity. (If they knew about it.)

P.S. The acronym for Black Crappie is BCP. I know BC should be a good shorthand, but that is the acronym for Blue Catfish.

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Originally Posted by gehajake
[quote=FishinRod]

Crazy like a fox.

Lol! I don't know about all that. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Putting BCP in now might be fun & I love a deal, but they'd probably decimate the FHM & PK shrimp I'm trying to get established & worry the BCP would get out of control without a predator present.

With SMB & BCP both being piscivorous, I'm trying to figure out the ideal forage situation. FHM won't have a chance & crappie apparently aren't quick enough to reliably snack on GSH. I'm sure smallies could deal with GSH, but would they bother running them down with PK shrimp, (eventually) crawfish, FHM & BCP on the menu? I'm trying/planning to ensure there is adequate correct spawning terrain, along with enough of the right vegetation for cover & concealment for the littles, but not sure which forage species would work best to feed 'em all.

Might YP actually be a good idea for both forage & as a bonus fish? Not too worried about the RES in this situation given their much different niche, but could SMB, BCP & YP manage to provide both forage & population for the other? Or would I have a bunch of skinny fish competing for the same resources? I envision SMB as the apex predator, BCP as the targeted table fare species & YP for the extra forage & bonus.

Any ideas on slot sizes for managing SMB & YP with my goal of regularly producing eater sized BCP?

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I would think that golden shiners and the YP would probably provide adequate forage for the bass. I managed my neighbors pond in Polk County for a few years and never managed to get a successful crappie spawn. I believe this was due to a very high density population of largemouth bass and exceptionally clear water. I think smallmouth would probably reproduce fine in your pond, just make sure that no largemouth get in otherwise they will take over. Personally I'm not keeping a bass over 12 inches and will remove smaller ones as needed to prevent overpopulation.

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Been doing a lot of thinking things over & reading everything I can on here & think I've got a "way ahead" mapped out.

FHM & PK shrimp are in now & we'll work on getting the rock & gravel in for spawning habitat over the winter, along with pitching some small cedars in the deep end, along with some "pallet triangles" stuffed with cedar branches.

Come spring, I'll focus on getting the right vegetation started with some corkscrew eel grass, pickerel weed, some dwarf hybrid water lilies & whichever other plants are appropriate. Still researching all that. I'm also seriously looking to get my hands on some red shiners/rainbow dace (RSH?) & see if I can't get some established.

I'm thinking 50 RES & 100 BRES hybrids to kick things off, with my feeding daily all of 'em that'll take to it with the intent of harvesting the hybrids as soon as they're eatin' sized. Also hoping that with the stockers initial small size that the FHM & PKs have a decent window of warm weather to reproduce like while they're still predator free.

Looks like SMB & YP are fall availability around here. I'd like to put in 10-15 SMB & 25-50 YP fall of next year, with the YP numbers being dependent on whether we harvest any of the BRES & how many. My hope is that the YP will replace the BRES as they're fished out, both in the pond & at the table.

As the SMB & YP start getting some size on them, I'd like to introduce crawfish & GSH & let that combo simmer till fall '24. Hoping that by then, most of the BRES will have been harvested & that the SMB & YP will have the numbers & size to manage whatever becomes of 25-50 BCP.

Power will be run to the pond, as much for aeration as for the beer fridge & blender. grin Hoping to figure out a way to run a single diffuser on the bottom most of the year & bring it up to 3' or 4' come winter. I think a floating dock will help with that particular endeavor.

Hopefully, I'll be able to "create" a healthy enough ecosystem with the right habitat to create enough sustainable forage to pull this off with regular harvest of BCP & YP. My inner prepper would like for the pond to be self sustaining with no need for human intervention outside of harvesting fish. I am going to feed Optimal & aerate, in order to maximize production & feast on tasty fish, I don't want the pond to be dependent on regular re stocking, whether eatin' fish or baitfish. I mean, I'll restock as necessary & maybe even stock an occasional bonus fish like a couple WAE or HSB & will use every tool at my disposal, but in the off-chance things go sideways & we have to revert to 19th century living (or die trying), I'd like to be able to count on the pond for food production, if at a reduced level.

My apologies for the long winded posts. Brevity's just not one of my strengths, but I do appreciate y'all's input & advice.

ETA- I will do my best to keep accurate records & keep you guys up to date as we go along.

Last edited by CrazyCarl; 10/28/22 04:52 PM.
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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl
Power will be run to the pond, as much for aeration as for the beer fridge & blender. grin

Glad to see that you have your priorities straight!

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Where did you get the shrimp?

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Originally Posted by SWMO 2
Where did you get the shrimp?

Ordered them from the ebay guy in LA. Came out to $94 with shipping for 100 shrimp. Not cheap, but I consider it a worthwhile investment. Dude packs them impressively well & zero morts.

Depending on how well they establish, I'll open it up for PB members to come net some if they want. Maybe trade for some nice male BG or cuttings/tubers/shoots of desirable aquatic plants? Or just have a beer & shoot the breeze, makes no nevermind to me.

ETA- a member here, who's name I forget, that lives near/in Clinton has access to them, if you want to come net them.

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl
Originally Posted by SWMO 2
Where did you get the shrimp?

Ordered them from the ebay guy in LA. Came out to $94 with shipping for 100 shrimp. Not cheap, but I consider it a worthwhile investment. Dude packs them impressively well & zero morts.

Depending on how well they establish, I'll open it up for PB members to come net some if they want. Maybe trade for some nice male BG or cuttings/tubers/shoots of desirable aquatic plants? Or just have a beer & shoot the breeze, makes no nevermind to me.

ETA- a member here, who's name I forget, that lives near/in Clinton has access to them, if you want to come net them.


How did he ship them? next day, etc and how were they packaged? The more details the better.


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Originally Posted by esshup
[quote=CrazyCarl]
How did he ship them? next day, etc and how were they packaged? The more details the better.
Took about 5 days to get them, but I believe he only ships on certain days of the week & sends them out USPS Priority Mail in a large flat rate box. He said they typically arrive within 2 days & he's not had issues with morts.

Shrimp were 10 to a double bagged, heavy duty "cylindrical" clear plastic bag, with the group of bags surrounded on all sides by styrofoam & what looked to be rock wool insulation & packed snugly. I was pretty impressed, to tell you the truth. A couple of the shrimp were sluggish when first released, but quickly got their bearings & took off.

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl
Originally Posted by esshup
[quote=CrazyCarl]
How did he ship them? next day, etc and how were they packaged? The more details the better.
Took about 5 days to get them, but I believe he only ships on certain days of the week & sends them out USPS Priority Mail in a large flat rate box. He said they typically arrive within 2 days & he's not had issues with morts.

Shrimp were 10 to a double bagged, heavy duty "cylindrical" clear plastic bag, with the group of bags surrounded on all sides by styrofoam & what looked to be rock wool insulation & packed snugly. I was pretty impressed, to tell you the truth. A couple of the shrimp were sluggish when first released, but quickly got their bearings & took off.

Thanks!!

Last edited by teehjaeh57; 10/31/22 11:55 PM.

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